Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) officials say rain that fell in the early part of this week in the northern end of the Grand River watershed will result in high river flows throughout the week.
They have offered the following warnings:
– recreational river users such as anglers, canoeists and kayakers should be aware of the higher flows;
– some low-lying areas along rivers will be flooded but there is no threat to communities;
– levels in Lake Belwood and Guelph Lake will be affected by high inflows and subsequent discharges; and
– banks adjacent to rivers and creeks are slippery and when combined with fast-moving water pose a serious hazard. Parents are encouraged to keep their children and pets away from water courses.
About 60mm of rain fell in the area over a 24-hour period. The rain resulted in high flows in the northern portions of the Grand and Speed rivers, upstream of the Shand and Guelph dams.
The ground was already saturated from last weekend so much of the rain flowed directly into rivers and streams.
The GRCA increased discharges from the Shand and Guelph dams to balance inflows in order to maintain storage space in the reservoirs. The higher discharges were expected to last several days.
Discharge was raised to 75 cubic meters per second (m3/s) from Shand Dam reservoir at 8am on Tuesday and flows through Fergus, Elora and Elora Gorge remained high throughout the day as reservoir levels were lowered.
Flows through Guelph were in the 20 to 30m3/s range earlier this week due to a series of rainfall events and increased reservoir discharges.
Grand and Speed River flows and levels through Waterloo Region and downstream to Lake Erie in Brant and Haldimand will remain above normal summer levels throughout the week.
The GRCA warned additional rain events forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday could add to existing flows and levels.
For information visit www.grandriver.ca.
